Combination-lock.



D. l. NEWMAN.

COMBINATION LOCK.

APPLICATION HLED MN. 10. HH-

1,136,357. Patented A r, 20, 1915.

Fic l. W I I fir u r n INVENTCIR WITNEELEIEE a -ATTDRNEY5 as to dispense DAVID J. NEWMAN, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

COMBINATIQN-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

Application filed January 10, 1914. Serial K0. 811,363.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID J. NEWMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Combination-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combination lock designed more especially for the doors of freight cars, although the same may be used for other urposes.

One of its ob ects is the provision of a simple, strong and reliable lock of this character which permits a ready change of the combination.

Another object is to so construct the lock with the use of screws, rivets or bolts, except those employed for fastening the parts of the lock to the door and the car-body or other member.

A further object is to provide the lock with simple means for effectually baffling attempts to pick the same.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view of a freight car provided with the lock. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the lock detached from the car. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section thereof on line 3-45, Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are cross sections on the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 1s a perspective view of the locking bolt or pm. Fig. 8 is a rear view of one of the tumblers. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 10 is a front view of one of the tumblers. Fig. 11 is an edge view thereof.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures.

1 indicates the shell or casing of the lock which is preferably of cylindrical form and secured in a horizontal position to the car body by bolts or other suitable fastenings passing through perforated ears 2 of the easing. In the construction shown, the casin is provided with a contracted front end 0 hollow neck 3 arranged in alinement with a lug 4 suitably secured to the front edge of the car door 5. If desired, the arrangement of this lug and the casing may be reversed, the lug being secured to the car-body and the casing to the door, but I prefer the arrangement shown in the drawings. One of these parts, preferably the lug 4 carries a hood or guard 6 which covers the joint between the same.

7 indicates a locking pin or bolt passing horizontally through an opening 8 in the lug 4, the hollow neck 3 and a. series of tumblers 9. These tumblers are arranged side by side in the casing 1, and fill the space from end to end thereof, so as to be practically held against displacement lengthwise of the case, while being free to rotate therein. As shown in Fig. 3, the ends or heads of the casing against which the endmost tumblers of the series bear, are preferably integral with the casing, producing a. simple, strong and solid construction. The tumblers are in the form of circular washers and provided in diametrically opposite sides of their bores or axial openings with notches 10 extending entirely through them and adapted to receive two rows of teeth or projections 11 arranged on diametrically opposite sides of the lockmg bolt 7. In addition to these teeth said bolt is provided on its front portion in line with said rows of teeth with a pair of longitudinal ribs or feathers 12 adapted to enter the notches 10 of a number of the tumblers or washers in the front portion of the casing 1. The teeth 11 are abrupt on their rear sides and preferably beveled on their front sldes, as shown in the drawings. Each of the tumblers is provided in its rear side with a fiat face 13 against which the abrupt rear sides of the adjacent pair of teeth 11 bear when the teeth and the notches 10 are out of register. In its front side each tumbler is provided with a beveled recess 14 which receives the corresponding front side of the contiguous pair of teeth. The tumblers are provided on their edges or faces with an annular row of suitable combination-indica tions, such as letters or numerals, which are exposed one at a time through a longitudinal slot or sight opening 15 formed in the front side of the casing 1. A. similar slot 16, Fig. 6, is arranged in another aoaissible side of the casing, preferably the lower side, through which the tumblers may be reached for turningl them.

he tumblers are inserted in the casing through a transverse slot or aperture 17 arranged near the front end of the sight opening 15 and normally closed by a hinged or other suitable lid 18 having a suitable catch 19 for holding it closed. Those tumblers or washers in the front portion of the casing which are not exposed through the sight opening 15 and which are engaged with the ribs 12 of the locking bolt, act as fillers to prevent lateral displacement of the tumblers in the casing. These ribs hold said filling tumblers against turning relatively to the bolt, thus always keeping them unlocked and permitting the bolt to be freely withdrawn therefrom when released by the remaining rotary tumblers which are exposed through the sight opening 15.

The locking bolt 7 is provided at its rear end with a head 20 adapted to bear against the rear side of the lug 4 to confine the bolt in the opening of said lug. Interposed between the front end of the bolt and the adjacent end of the casing 1, is a spring 21 which tends to force the bolt outwardly or rearwardly in order to press the abrupt sides of the bolt-teeth 11 against the tumblers and check rotation thereof under the vibrations of the car, as well as reduce wear of said teeth and the tumblers. In the preferred construction shown in the drawin s, this spring is secured in a socket in the end of the bolt, so as to remain a part thereof and not become lost when the bolt is Withdrawn from the tumblers, as hereinafter described.

Certain of the letters or indications on the face of the tumblers are arranged in line with their locking notches 10, so that when the series of visible tumblers are turned to expose those particular letters through the sight opening 15, the notches 10 of the several tumblers will register with the teeth 11 of the locking bolt 7, releasing the bolt and unlocking the door. The latter on being opened, withdraws the bolt from the tumblers and the casing 1, the bolt however remaining in the opening of the lug 4-. Upon again closing the door in this registering position of the tumblers, the bolt, owing to the beveled front sides of its teeth 11, readily passes through the tumblers to the position shown in Fig. 3, and upon rotating the several tumblers, their notches are moved out of register with the teeth, locking the bolt in the tumblers, and as the latter are confined against endwise movement in the casing the parts are reliably locked together.

As shown in Figs. 5, 6, 8 and 10, the teeth on one side of the bolt are wider or thicker than those on the other side and the two series of notches 10 of the tumblers are correspondingly narrow and wide. This construction renders it more difficult for car burglars or other unauthorized persons to determine when the bolt-teeth come into register with the notches of the tumblers by turning the latter and pulling on the locking bolt, with a view of feeling the entry of the teeth into the notches of the tumblers. In order to further bafile attempts to bring the notches of the tumblers in register with the teeth of the bolt by this method, each tumbler is provided in the side which faces the abrupt sides of the teeth with one or more pairs of blind notches 22 of the proper dimensions to receive the teeth of the bolt, but extending only partly through the bore of the tumblers instead of entirely like the operative notches 10. Should an unauthorized person attempt to unlock the door by turning the tumblers and at the same time pulling on the bolt, the bolt-teeth are just as likely to enter a pair of blind notches as the operative ones, thus deceiving him. For this purpose the depth of the blind notches is greater than any slight lateral play that may exist between the tumblers, so that a person tampering with the lock in the above manner cannot tell whether the teeth of the bolt have entered a pair of blind notches or the operative notches.

To frustrate attempts to feel out or distinguish the operative notches 10 from the blind ones by the insertion of a wire or other instrument between adjacent tumblers, the latter may be provided on both sides with interlocking ribs, projections or corrugations 23 preferably arranged concentrically, as shown in the drawings In assembling the tumblers for a given combination of the lock, the tumblers which are to be exposed through the sight openings 15 are held in the hand and turned to bring all of their operative notches into register. A record is then made of a row of alining letters of the tumblers, after which they are successively inserted in the casing through the transverse aperture 17. If displaced by this operation, the tumblers are re-alined or rectified in accordance with said record. The locking bolt is next turned in the lug 4 to bring its teeth in register with the registered tumblers, after which the car door is closed and the tumblers are displaced to lock the door.

The combination of the lock can be readily changed by transposing the tumblers or changing their order, each tumbler bearing a row of letters or characters differing in sequence or arrangement from those of the other tumblers, to afford a large variety of combinations. Such changes can be easily made without the aid of tools.

It will be noted that the lock comprises but few parts and that it is free from rivets, screws or bolts except those used for fastening the lug 4 and the casing 1 to the car door and the body. It can therefore be cheaply constructed and contains no detachable parts which can be removed by burglars to gain access to the interior of the lock. It will also be observed that the circular tumblers are closely fitted in the cylindrical chamber of the casing, whereby they are supported and centered by the casing itself, dispensing with separate centering or supporting means and correspondingly simplifying the construction of the lock.

T oprevent loss of the locking bolt, it may be attached to the car-door by a chain 24.

I claim as my invention:

1. A combination lock comprising a casing having permanent heads, and rotary tumblers arranged side by side therein, the casing being provided in its side with a sight opening through which the edges of the tumblers are partly exposed and between said opening and the adjacent head of the casing with a second opening of sufficient size to admit the tumblers, said tumblers geing adapted to interlock with a suitable olt.

2. A combination lock, comprising a casing, a series of rotary tumblers arranged side by side in the casing, each tumbler having an axial opening provided in different sides thereof with locking notches of different dimensions, and a locking bolt constructed to enter the openings of the tumblers and provided with longitudinal series of projections arranged to pass through said notches, the projections of said rows being of difierent dimensions to correspond to the notches of the tumblers.

3. A combination lock, comprising a casing, a series of rotary tumblers arranged side by side in the casing, each tumbler having an axial opening provided in opposite sides thereof with locking notches of different widths, and a locking bolt constructed to enter the openings of the tumblers and provided on opposite sides with longitudinal rows of teeth constructed to pass through the notches of the tumblers, the teeth of the two rows being of different widths to fit said notches.

4. A combination lock comprising a casing having a sight-opening, a series of tumblers arranged side by side in said casing, some of said tumblers being exposed through said sight-opening and capable of rotating in the casing and others being concealed and serving as fillers, and a bolt having locking means adapted to engage said exposed rotary tumblers, and means adapted to engage said fillers to prevent rotation of the latter relative to the bolt.

5. A combination lock, comprising a casing having a sight-opening terminating short of the end thereof, a series of tumblers arranged side by side in said casing and provided with central openings having locking notches, some of said tumblers being exposed through said sight-opening and capable of rotating in the casing and others being concealed and serving as fillers, and a locking bolt constructed to enter said tumbler-openings and having a longitudinal row of projections adapted to pass through said notches and interlock with said exposed tumblers and a rib adapted to engage the notches of said fillers.

Witness my hand this 7th day of J anuary, 1914.

DAVID J. NEWMAN.

Witnesses C. F. GEYER, E. M. GRAHAM. 

